Stephanie and Steven : Engaged

O

n the campus of Point Loma University. That's where it happened. He saw her from a distance, and perhaps it was her smile, glow, or beautiful soul that drew him into Stephanie's gravitational pull. Because she has that. A gravitational pull. The ability to lure people into her kindness and joy, each maintaining a happy orbit. Stephen and Stephanie hit it off immediately and they bonded over their love of golf. The Buick Invitational...in San Diego...really...you have tickets...of course we'll go together! And that was that. They spent their first weekend together as teenagers at a golf tournament, and have remained by each others sides ever since.

And that's where they were headed a few days ago. Stephanie and Stephen enjoyed the ride from Phoenix, Arizona and made their way to San Diego, California to the place of Stephanie's first incident of the gravitational pull occurred. Before arriving, however, they paused in Orange County long enough for their engagement session.

The day was spent in a blissful state of laughter and joy...and kissing. Stephanie and Stephen are two of the most loving, kind and genuine people and their love is simply a manifestation for their care of others. I'm beyond thrilled to be shooting their wedding later this year and I know it's going to be nothing short of fabulous! Here are a few of my favorites, as well as a slideshow...

Stephanie owns Tunnel Photography in Phoenix, Arizona, so she brought along her grandparents' vintage cameras as a way to incorporate her style and personality...and I was in LOVE!

One thing about Stephen....when I arrived to the engagement session, I was him sitting alone under the shade of a nearby tree. We'd never met before, but he gathered who I was from my camera (and my annoying laugh, I'm sure). He waved from a distance and greeted me with a big hug. We were virtually strangers, but he gave me a hug and made me feel like an old friend. Stephanie...you're one lucky girl to be marrying such a kind man!

Ivans - this is WOW,.. everything from this session is PERFECT from the lights, the couple, the emotion, cloths and the accessories u had it all Jas, thanks for sharing u r a true inspiration for others photographers 07.04.09 - 6:42am

Sara France - They are such a cute couple. Great people too. I love what you did for their engagement. Great stuff Jasmine. 03.03.09 - 3:07pm

Jackie - You are such an amazing photographer and a great mentor to look up to! Keep kickin butt!! 02.28.09 - 9:02am

Oana Hogrefe - This is an amazing session, and these people are simply stunning! Thanks for sharing so much beauty. 02.16.09 - 7:20pm

Briana moore - These are beautiful! Where did you shoot these? 02.16.09 - 10:22am

cassandra m - WOW....I was in Puerto Rico this past week and missed alot I see. This shoot is full of color and vitality. Great energy here! Beautiful couple and I love that they are so stylish. I was smiling really big as this is my first post viewing in a week. ;) 02.16.09 - 8:13am

Michael Norwood - As one of 183 comments I doubt you'll even read this but I'm compelled to comment anyway. Not often do my friends surprise me with their talent. I *know* how amazing you are. Looking at more amazing-ness with each new post, therefore, is expected. That is... I come here expecting fabulous pictures. This shoot, however, surprised me. The overwhelming awesomeness seemed to never end. You are incredible. And how do you get such beautiful couples?! 02.12.09 - 2:49pm

Pamela Telgenhoff - I am so in awe of your work! If you ever need a second...you hear that like every 5 bazillion seconds I'm sure. Heehee. 02.12.09 - 4:18am

Stacy Cross - I want her hair. Seriously - so cute. These are so so good. I love that last one! 02.11.09 - 2:33pm

allie - oh.my.goodness. These are ALL so fun and gorgeous!! 02.11.09 - 12:55pm

Linda Morgan - Literally drooling over these pix. Some of my absolute favs of yours. The bike is to die for and the field of yellow flowers. Wow, oh to live in CA. 02.11.09 - 11:26am

Amanda - Gorgeous! They are so adorable and your photos, of course and as always, are marvelous. =)
You are so generous too in your sharing of information (like what lenses you tend to use)! You're so talented, yet you don't act like you have some major secret to keep or act snobby about your skills or anything. ;)
02.11.09 - 10:33am

Gina - beautiful, love the series in the flower fields! 02.11.09 - 9:32am

Larry Reeves - Amazing! I love: the location, the bike, the cameras, and the poses. Great work, as always! 02.11.09 - 8:41am

barbara ( soon to be dieppa) - ooooohhhhh I can't pick a favorite!!Love the ones in the flowers , and every one with the vintage cameras...VERY COOL! 02.11.09 - 7:09am

Chris Paxman - I was amazed at how tack sharp these images are, even when shooting into backlight! well done. gorgeous couple. beautiful shoot! 02.11.09 - 6:28am

Trista Lerit - These are beyond gorgeousness! One of my favorite shoots from you without a doubt! 02.10.09 - 8:08pm

Kim Kalyn - Holy crap woman - these images ROCK !!! Yes, you have some beautiful clients, but you don't give yourself enough credit. The angles, composition and poses are BEAUTIMOUS. Think that was your new word ;) By the way - you have that gravitational pull too! Look at how many people are drawn to you and your work !! 02.10.09 - 7:52pm

Lauri - Gosh, I feel so late in the game with the comment here! haha. But these are beautiful. The whole session is just spot on gorgeous - perfect light, beautiful couple, awesome creativity - I love it! 02.10.09 - 5:44pm

Jasmine* - Firstly, THANK YOU for your kind comments. My amazing clients deserve all the credit as I merely showed up and pointed a camera in their direction! :) A few people have asked what lenses I shot with for this session. As with all my engagement sessions, I shoot with the 50mm, 1.2, 85mm, 1.2, and the 24mm, 1.2. I shoot with the 50mm about 60% of the time, 85mm about 30% of the time, and the 24mm about 10% of the time. Or something like that! ;) For those of you who asked about white balance, I simply shoot with the Canon 5DmarkII set to auto white balance mode. I don't have any tools for white balance, but I will say that camera captures some amazing color! Again, thank you to those who take the time to leave feedback on the blog and I appreciate your kind words more than you know! :) 02.10.09 - 5:37pm

Jenica Lemmons - These are a great set!! I love your unique perspective and LOVE how they incorporated their vintage cameras in the session.
Your blog is always a joy to read! 02.10.09 - 5:08pm

chandra - as a daily reader of your blog, I have to say this is my favorite shoot yet! You can feel the love and joy of this couple and I love the shots of them in the yellow flowers most of all. Just beautiful. I still wish you were shooting my wedding, but can't wait to do a day after with you. I want to be in those yellow flowers! and I love the song you set the slideshow to as well. so well done all around! 02.10.09 - 3:24pm

erica - Awesome shots. Great lighting. I am impressed! Also, I am more impressed that you read every single comment, and answer/comment back one ones that peak your interest. What a woman! 02.10.09 - 2:30pm

Dani Van Steelandt - Me again, I just couldn't go without saying that as an over weight and self-conscious woman Jasmine made me feel and look absolutely incredible when she photographed Devin, my husband and I back in March. When I look at those images (which is almost daily still) I see the me I think I am. You know the person we see in our minds instead of the one that confronts me every morning in the mirror. And for the record our awesome session was posted to this blog on March 27, 2008. 02.10.09 - 2:16pm

Stephanie Greenwell - Those are beautiful! And crisp and how cute are they?!? I love the ones where they are riding the bicycles. Beautiful work, but I expect no less from you and your talent! Have a great week!! 02.10.09 - 2:13pm

Sarah Rhoads - well miss jasmine you have out done yourself again!! These are just too perfect 02.10.09 - 1:54pm

Ginger Murray - One of my favorite shoots... beautiful job. I love the bike with the flowers!! 02.10.09 - 1:08pm

Jamie - Jasmine, I am not a pro photog or anything, so I'm not sure what this is worth, but I just had to post and say this is my fav shoot I have ever seen! I love everything about it, especially the overall feel. It gives me the sense of watching a romantic comedy movie. You rock! And I want to add a little p.s., since I rarely post: THANK YOU so much for taking the time to give me some exposure pointers last year. Even though I'm not a pro, I want my family photo albums to look decent, and my kids will have you to thank for having decent childhood pics! Since putting your advice (mainly: watch the histogram!) into action, my photos have gotten 100% better. Bless you! 02.10.09 - 12:44pm

mareike Murray - What a gorgeous couple, and the lighting is also gorgeous. I love the backlighting!! 02.10.09 - 11:51am

Miz Booshay - Jasmine,
Do you use any gadget help to achieve your fabulous white balance? Or is it just your amazing ability to work that camera? 02.10.09 - 10:27am

NORMA CABRERA - How adorable! I love all the details in this session from their cute clothes to the cool bike with the flower basket to the awesome cameras, everything rocked this session! Awesome like always Jasmine. 02.10.09 - 10:19am

Leela - what time of day did you shoot this? I am so jealous of your gorgeous sunsets/sunrises. Here in London we just don't have that!! Always loved your blog and of course your work. I am so tempted to pay you to come to london to take some photos of my little family. Would you? I will start saving. 02.10.09 - 10:16am

Christine Meintjes - What a cute couple! These are fantastic! Jasmine, you are a absolute super star photographer! 02.10.09 - 10:05am

Jen Mabray - wow!!! i love this sesssion... she is gorgeous and full of life! you have a talent for bringing out the real in people!! awesome job ;) 02.10.09 - 8:39am

Marissa Rodriguez - These are fantastic!!!! If I could just get a little slice of your talent, ooooo that would be so great! you rock my world! 02.10.09 - 8:29am

Erica Velasco - Are you sure they aren't models? Because you couldn't have had them dress more cute or perfectly for photos! Seriously...hired models right? 02.10.09 - 8:24am

Melissa Koehler - These are gorgeous and the couple is adorable!
*Hey, if you need a second while in San Diego, let me know :)**
Love the bike! :) 02.10.09 - 8:03am

Diana Vermeulen - These are so fun! As always, your photographs absolutely blow my mind. I aspire to be half as good as you one day :) 02.10.09 - 8:00am

Bryan - Beautiful photos Jasmine, very creative and very hard to pick favorites as they are all great! Thanks for speaking on Photography Mentor the other night too, you really did a great job and I so enjoyed and learned from listening! 02.10.09 - 7:53am

Jo - Jasmine, I apologize. I wasn't being critical or accusing you of anything. I had been surfing photography blogs for an hour (yours, Dane's, Kevin Kubota's, etc) and had noticed that everyone was thin, gorgeous, etc. It just had me thinking that I had never seen any ordinary, average "me" type people in any of my favorite blogs and I was wondering whether photographers did it deliberately or if they only shot gorgeous people (by choice or otherwise). I wasn't trying to be critical, just bringing up a question that was rattling around in my head. Sorry to have offended you. I have this disease where I speak before I think about how it will sound when it comes out. 02.10.09 - 7:52am

Karen - Fabulissimo as usual Jasmine, and I make up words too! Love the use of the bike in these. 02.10.09 - 7:37am

scott westerman - hi Jasmine, I just watched the slideshow and all i can say is wow, wow !!!! did i say wow !!.
Im constantly in awe of your work and something else i have noticed is that you always get the skin tones bang on !!!
How do you do that ? Thats something i really struggle with, that and the correct white balance etc etc etc.
Awesome work.
scott. 02.10.09 - 7:11am

Du Wayne Denton - You blow me away with these amazing images! You are truly a inspiration. Love the portaits! 02.10.09 - 6:43am

AleksRachael - Jasmine you rock it out every time. I think the true talent of a photographer is to make every couple look their best. Yes many of your clients are good looking but you also work your magic with them as well! ROCK ON! 02.10.09 - 4:52am

Fatima - Jasmine.. absolutely breathless! Looking at the images I can hear them laughing! So AWESOME! Hats off to you! Great work and they are a great looking couple! 02.10.09 - 4:49am

Karyn May - Seriously Gorgeous Jasmine!!!!! I just love the bike with the flower basket and the couple is SOO adorable! 02.10.09 - 4:33am

Lisa - WOW this pictures are gorgeous! I love the colors, and all the backlit photos. I'm dying to know how you do it ... BTW I've been spying on your blog for awhile now and love it. I'll try to leave more comments and not be so silent! :) 02.10.09 - 3:33am

Jenny Sun - WOW. I know that gets old, and I am totally sounding like a broken record, but your work is constantly so inspiring, warm, and real. You feel like you know the couple when you shoot them :) Thank you. Well, just cos :) 02.09.09 - 11:27pm

Abi - J* ~ First of all, what an AMAZING, gorgeous shoot! Literally, perfection. Second, don't pay any mind to the critics out there. Those of us who love you know you shoot only beautiful pictures and make all of us look like rock star, super models. Rock. On. 02.09.09 - 10:55pm

Julie Cruz - I LOVE all of these. Such a gorgeous couple....and such magical shots. Amazing...as always. I hate your guts for being so awesome ;) 02.09.09 - 10:34pm

Jasmine* - @Jo: I don't know who the "we" you are referring to, but I want to clarify that I post 100% of my client images. Every. single. client gets an appearance on my blog. Yes, all my clients happen to be fabulously good looking and I'm blessed to be working with every single one of them. 02.09.09 - 10:21pm

Stephanie Fay - Jasmine- I cannot thank you enough for all the hard work you have put into these photos. We could not be happier with them! THEY ARE AMAZING! thank you my friend! Cant wait to see you soon. :) 02.09.09 - 10:16pm

Jo - Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to be a kill joy, but I just have to say it. Why do we never post pictures of less-than-gorgeous people on our blogs and websites??? I'm guilty of it too, but do you ever wonder what the average "Jo" thinks when she looks at a photographer's portfolio and only sees movie star types? What about the other 98% of the population? I've decided I'm going to make more of an effort to keep it real and start posting pics of all my clients - not just the ones that stop traffic with their beauty. Jasmine, you're a brilliant photographer and I love your work. Today I just feel a bit pissummed. 02.09.09 - 9:18pm

Affi - Absolutely love these photos. They are just such a cute pair. 02.09.09 - 6:33pm

Shannon Ksenak - What a gorgeous couple! Your pictures make me want to get to know them. We'd totally be friends.... :) Just when I think your pictures are the best I've ever seen, you totally out do yourself! Amazing. 02.09.09 - 6:32pm

Cathy Crawley - Miss Jasmine, this is my fave session of the year so far! The bike, the flowers, the clothes, the locations the couple, I love it ALL! I'm in love.......... *swoon* :) 02.09.09 - 6:07pm

Melissa - What a Beautiful Couple! & to have had the honor of having you capture that =) 02.09.09 - 6:07pm

Delwyn - I love love LOVE their outfits! Jasmine you're like my hero of all photographers such beautiful moments captured and always so clear and perfectly focused! 02.09.09 - 5:29pm

Daniel & Candice Lanning - what a great shoot, jasmine! love the punches of color that were incorporated with outfits and props....great stuff1 02.09.09 - 5:20pm

Simone - Love, love, love these! There is such emotion in these pictures! Seriously, you are so gifted, girl!
Question for you. What time of day did you start this shoot? The lighting is beautiful. 02.09.09 - 5:17pm

Mel-IMAGEine Couture Photography - BEAUTIFUL! Jasmine you inspire me! By the way I took your tip and purchased myself some Kubota...AMAZING!!! I look forward to getting more and also some Totally Rad actions. 02.09.09 - 5:01pm

Kare - Love, love, love the one in the field (but they're all super!). And while I'm here, can I just say how much I love my fellow J* blogstalkers? You have some incredibly talented people getting great ideas from you! And all such sharers of ideas. Love it! 02.09.09 - 2:20pm

Cherie-Lynn Buchanan - Love these. My fav is the one where they're laughing- her eyes are closed and her nose is wrinkled. J* you did it again.
Cheers 02.09.09 - 2:09pm

Kristen Dawn - I love to see how you continue to ooah and aahh my computer screen. When I first started to watch your blog I thought, "Wow this girl is amazing, perfect, couldn't be better!" But you DO get better and better every shoot you do and I can only hope to continue to grow just like yourself. Thanks for the non stop inspiration. 02.09.09 - 1:56pm

Tracy - these are amazing. they are going to LOVE them! 02.09.09 - 1:47pm

Allen Arrick - Wow, I wish we had bright green field in Texas right now. You California people are so lucky - beautiful weather, beautiful everything! 02.09.09 - 1:36pm

Bobbie Brown - Oh my. These.are.amazing. AMAZING! Everything about this shoot is perfect! The location, the couple is gorgeous, the bike, the field of yellow flowers, and of course the old camera's just stole my heart away!! I love the ones of them 'shooting' each other!!!! J* you are amazing! 02.09.09 - 1:07pm

Jen May - Love the bike and basket of flowers they brought--they really prepared beautifully for their shoot! Great job capturing them :) 02.09.09 - 12:58pm

detailnoticer - Is his named spelled 'Steven' or 'Stephen'? You have it spelled both ways. I think a client would appreciate the correct spelling. 02.09.09 - 12:53pm

Susann Saarel - Wow! That's some engagement session!...the cutest couple, a fabulous photographer and a bunch of great locations and props...love bike & the vintage cameras! There must be over 50 images in the slideshow...how many images do your clients receive in a typical portrait or engagement session? The more, the better, of course! 02.09.09 - 12:47pm

Raquel - you say you are lucky to photograph them later in the year, but girl....I think they are beyond blessed to have you there to photgraph them! You Rock! 02.09.09 - 12:07pm

kate - i know i said this before, but damn, they have good style. what a perfect couple to get to photograph.
i love the pictures, especially the ones in the field! those flowers are awesome. 02.09.09 - 12:00pm

jackie wonders - this is my favorite shoot of yours..ever. i love everything about it. i feel like it shows another fold of your talent...awesomeness. 02.09.09 - 11:51am

Heidi @ Zenadia - Such cute pictures!! I love the bike with the flowers in the basket. Your work is so amazing!! 02.09.09 - 11:43am

samantha - Okay. I don't think I've ever asked a question before, but I have an issue that I seriously need help with. How. do. you. focus?? I also use canon and primes. I also shoot wide open when possible. First, getting bride and groom both in focus (when shooting wide open). Secondly, do you use just one focus square and if so where do you 'point' it? I've tried using one focus square and I 've also tried using all of them, but that takes forever and several pushing the shutter half-way down to get the ones to light up that I want to light up. If that makes sense. I would greatly appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks! 02.09.09 - 11:32am

Holli True - You totally captured my dream shot that I want of my hubby and I!!! (The one in the field where they are nose-to-nose) PERFECTION!! One of these days you are totally going to do a session for us! Amazing shoot, Jasmine! 02.09.09 - 11:32am

Jonathan Stade - All I have to say is: I really must get my wife a pair of those boots. Oh, and congrats on the fantastic shoot. The last one cracks me up with them in the basket :P 02.09.09 - 11:28am

Kevin - I never get bored with your work....I go to other sites and I honestly do not get pulled into the work as much as I do with yours. You can through all your work and each shoot tells a different story. It is amazing. You also have a way with words that adds to the photographs. Thank you for being inspiring! 02.09.09 - 11:22am

Navy Sou - ...and it just keeps on gettin' betta'! You have an endless amount of talent and creativity! Where do you get that juice from, girl? Can I get some of what you're drinking??? 02.09.09 - 10:50am

Marianne Wilson - You rocked these out! I love the use of the cameras! Adorable :) 02.09.09 - 10:50am

jeramy - wow....tough to find a favorite. i love the one under the porch on the left....i love the one in the field....oh, and the one where he's taking her picture and the sun is coming down through the trees....super cool! 02.09.09 - 10:48am

Amanda - Awesome! This is one of my favorite sessions that you've done... beautiful! It doesn't hurt that the couple is gorgeous either! 02.09.09 - 10:44am

Feuza - Umm,what a beautiful bride to be, there kids are going to be hotties...lol
great colors, what lense did you mostly use on these? 02.09.09 - 10:43am

smitten photography - holy buckets. these are OUT of control amazing. what a beautiful couple! your work is perfection :) 02.09.09 - 10:41am

Curtis Farmer - AAAGUGGGGLAAAH!!! That's the noise I made as I scrolled through these AWESOME images. I didn't even have words to describe how much I loved the priceless photos of these people I've never met.. so that noise was all I could come up with... AAAGUGGGGLAAAH!!! Jasmine, you continue to rock. 02.09.09 - 10:40am

Roxie - OMG - AMAZING! Probably one of my FAVORITE e-sessions of yours. Absolutely amazing! And of course having the cutest couple helps a lot too! You are ultra-fabulous!! :) 02.09.09 - 10:37am

Tira J - Jas, you did it again! Absolutely gorgeous images. I just love the use of the light, and the colors totally pop. 02.09.09 - 9:59am

Velia - Oh Jasmine these are all
B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. I was looking forward to this session and I am loving it. They are all FABOULOUS. Great job as always 02.09.09 - 9:56am

Jamie Delaine - GAH! Cutest. Couple. Ever. Award. Stephanie will read this and laugh because I've definitely commented on her facebook and told her that many, many times. She is stunnnning and I swear her fiance is the doppelganger of Jess from Gilmore Girls. ;) 02.09.09 - 9:55am

Kayla - Wow! These are gorgeous! I love the locations and all the shots. Great job! 02.09.09 - 9:45am

Tiffany - great engagement photos! They have such a fresh, sunny feel to them 02.09.09 - 9:40am

Candace Prokopets - What a beautiful couple. I love the color in these images and how fun and creative they all are. Great work, J*!! 02.09.09 - 9:39am

Dani - Oh Jasmine! They are just the most amazingly adorable couple I have ever seen. What a fabulous job you've done. Makes me want to move to Arizona and be their friend! Is that creepy? 02.09.09 - 9:39am